Whole Wheat Chicken Piccata Pasta

Zach and I have returned from an epic trip to Austin. It was a week filled with all-things-Texas in what we northerners consider mid-summer weather (90s in APRIL? Are you kidding? It snowed a week ago here!). I am tan, well-fed, and have had my fill of bluebonnets, barbecue, and farm animals.

If you are here for chicken piccata pasta, please scroll to the bottom. If you would like to see pictures of Texas things, like three-day old baby calfs, please continue from here :-) Highlights of the trip included…

Fields of bluebonnets on the side of the road, perfect for all your frolicking needs:

A three-day old baby calf at Zach’s grandfather’s farm on Easter Sunday (dinner was barbecue chicken and pork ribs… thank God there wasn’t any beef at the meal, I don’t think I would have had the heart to eat it!)

And lots of deck-sittin’ eating chips and salsa and enjoying the sunshine. Gosh, my husband is handsome!

OK. Enough reminiscing. Onto the recipe!

Whenever Zach and I visit, his parents are extremely gracious in letting us stay for a LONG visit at their house. To say thank you (and because we love cooking together and sharing food), we’ve started a tradition of cooking a meal for all of us before we leave. In the past, we’ve made spinach and mushroom lasagna, pasta arugula, and a few Greek dishes. This time, it was chicken piccata pasta. I’ve made chicken piccata before (and will blog about it later- it’s amazing) but we wanted something a little easier to prepare. This turned out excellent- it was very easy, relatively quick, and super tasty.

I adapted this from Rachel Ray, and made a few adjustments to create a healthier meal. I used whole wheat pasta (gemelli) and added green beans. Here’s a good trick- when you add vegetables to a pasta dish, add them to the boiling pasta water during the last few minutes of cooking the pasta. This will save you a dish to wash, and you can just drain the pasta and vegetables together and add to whatever sauce you are using! I also made more sauce than the recipe called for… partially because I love sauce, but also because I didn’t want to waste the rest of the can of chicken broth I had purchased.

The only ingredient in this that is not “real” is a small amount of white flour- it’s necessary to thicken the sauce. Try as you might, you will find yourself unable to thicken sauce with whole wheat flour. I use white flour to thicken dishes whenever I need to, since it is usually a small amount, the same as I will use a small amount of sugar to cut the acidity in some dishes (like pickled jalepenos). Those of you who are strongly averse to using refined flour in any amount- just leave it out! Those of you who are happy with a 95% real food diet (like me), leave it in.

Add salt and pepper to chicken and cook in a skillet over medium-high heat in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Set aside after cooking.

Cook pasta according to direction. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add chopped green beans. Drain green beans and pasta together.

While pasta is cooking, make sauce in skillet from the chicken. Add garlic and shallots, and saute until slightly browned and tender. Add flour and stir; heat for about 1 minute. Add white wine and simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, approximately 2 minutes.

To the skillet add parsley, capers, chicken broth and lemon juice; whisk together. The mixture will slowly thicken. Season with salt and pepper and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Add chicken back to the skillet and heat through for approximately 2 minutes.

Comments

In the ” Daniel Plan” Cookbook which is against using white flour & refined sugar, they recommend using cornstarch for thickening sauces. I don’t know if it is any more healthy but you might want to try it. Just wanted to let you know. Love, GMR

Yes, I use cornstarch sometimes and white flour other times! My general rule of thumb: if refined flour isn’t the “main event” in a course, I just use it anyway. I don’t think one is healthier than the other, but I don’t think a tablespoon or two of either is very harmful. I looked up that cookbook on amazon and I think I have to add it to my wish list! Thanks for the recommendation!

Beautiful pictures of Springtime in Texas! Loved having you both with us for Easter. And, “yes,” your husband is VERY handsome….takes after his Dad. ;) Thanks for fixin’ Chicken Piccata Pasta for us. YUM! Love you both, Mom & Dad

I just made the chicken piccata pasta for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Thanks for the great recipe. This was an excellent piccata sauce which I will use next time I want to do a more traditional piccata.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Rate this recipe:

Hello! Welcome to Bowl of Delicious!

I'm Elizabeth, nice to meet you! I live in central Texas with my husband Zach, two kitties (Oscar and Olive), and a baby on the way. My recipes are made from whole ingredients and are freezer friendly, make-ahead, slow cooker, and/or quick & easy. My philosophy is that that eating and cooking should relieve the stress of a busy lifestyle, not contribute to it, and that you can eat healthy, whole foods without making yourself crazy. Learn more!

Stay Connected

Trending Posts on Bowl of Delicious

Hello! I’m so glad you’re here.

I'm Elizabeth, nice to meet you! I live in central Texas with my husband Zach, two kitties (Oscar and Olive), and a baby on the way. My recipes are made from whole ingredients and are freezer friendly, make-ahead, slow cooker, and/or quick & easy. My philosophy is that that eating and cooking should relieve the stress of a busy lifestyle, not contribute to it, and that you can eat healthy, whole foods without making yourself crazy. learn more!

stay connected!

Affiliate Disclaimer:

Bowl of Delicious is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com for products I highly recommend (as well as other affiliate companies). If you purchase any item from Amazon by clicking to their site via the affiliate link, it will cost the same to you, but I will receive a small commission. Your purchase helps support Bowl of Delicious and is much appreciated! :-)